Mounting for vehicle doors and the like



March 6, l934- a. c. PLACE MOUNTING FOR VEHICLE DOORS AND THE LIKE FiledNOV. 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l lll/111111111 IIII.

7017 6 P/dc'@ March 6, 1934. B c, PLACE 1,949,581

MOUNTING FOR VEHICLE DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. l5, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet 2 nl f e l. ntented :Mai-.9.6, '19347' Y 1 ,MOUVNTING FORVEHICLE DOORS AND THE f` n 'K LIKE f Bion C. Place, Detroit, Mich.,assignor of one-half y p' c 4 torGeorge E. Gagnler, Detroit, Mich.

f1 ,Application November `15, 1930, Serial No. 495,995

n y 7 claims. (01.296-44) This, invention relates to mountingsforpivoted likely to swing open whenfan occupant is leanclosure elementssuch, for example, as vehicle ing thereagainst, with'dire results if thevehicle doors and the like. Itisthe general object of the is in motion.1

presentinvention to providean improved mount- Accordingly, the majorobjects of the presen Aiing,arrangement of f this typefand, moreVspeciinvention aretoimprove upon present-day hinges e0 cally, to designsuchL amounting for particular and door mountings and to remedy thedefects applicationto the` doors yotautomobile bodies. and disadvantagespointed out in the preceding The common practice rin present day vehiclediscussion. The general and more speciiic ob body construction is tomount each of the doors jects, through which my major objects are accom-10 upona pair or more ofV individual spaced hinges of plished, are asfollows: .I L

a conventional type. fr The door, [especially one of It is an object ofmy invention to design an imyall `metal Aconstructiomvand having a plateglass proved mounting or hinge, for swinging doors. window, is-too heavyto be properly supported in which will in itself provide a sumcientsupport for vthis fashion. It will sagV when open and the indithe doorthroughout the life of the latter and rl5 vidual hinges j will becomedistorted or loosened regardless of what position the latter may be in.70 l 'through' constantl usev Sagfg'ing and distortion This may beaccomplished without reenforcement cause the door to swing improperly,with conseand Without the provision of additional supportquent dimcultyinsclosing it and with difficulty in ins devices at the lathed side 0fthedoor. j bringing the several latch portions into interen- Anotherimportant object of the present inven- 4. gaging alignment.Manufacturers haveattempttion is that of providing a hinge structure foran 1| ed` to refenforce the individual hinges, and have alltOmOble dOOI0r the like. Which Structure Shall placedy coactin'g lugsand sockets `onthe body and be invisible from the outer side of the door in allytheunhinged side of the door respectively .to pro- DOStOnS 0f theletter. vide additionalsupport forlthe door when closed. A furtherObject 0f this invention iS t0 Provide The door and bodyarethus lockedtogether at a an automobile door mounting which will serve 90 kpluralityofvpointsr kand hence, when the body beto close the door automaticallyand to resist comes momentarily slightly twisted or subjected to Openingmovement of the latter: which Will Subshock, as the vehicle passes overroad irregularistantially eliminate the usual rattles and squeaks ties,rattling and squeaky noises emanate from caused by relative movementbetween the door y Ithe (numerouspoints ofinterlockin'g. and the body;and which will permit the use oi el A further undesirable ,feature ofthe old type an inexpensive latch'with relatively loosely inter-{hin'ges is that they project-outwardly beyond the fitting parts.

"vehicle bodyy to y, destroyy its otherwise pleasing Still anotherobject resides in the provision of .,'streamline effect,..fand toplaceoiland accumua spring-closed automobile door in combination lateddirt where it can bewiped oil easily and with a checking device forpreventing too rapid 00 L. inadvertently by `the clothing of thosepersons usclosingy movement that might break the glass, dising ,theyautomobile. .V tort the hinges or cause personal injuries. In n Asrecommended bythe distributors in the autothis connection it is animportant object to disrnotive'industry, the doors ymust be kept closedat pose the checking device in a concealed position. 4.0 all timeswhennotrin-usein order to prevent sag- These and further objects willmore fully ap- M f ging.A and to prevent them from being inadvertentpearfrom a study of the following detailed dely damaged oretornoff by treesorv the like Whenthe scription of preferred embodiments of the inven-`vehicle isput into motion. This recommendation tion illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. f, mustberobserved because the doors aremanually. In the drawings: i

Y and? not `automatically,closed.V Due to the lack Figure 1 isa view, inoutside elevation, of a 100 0f veutOlhefl'fie,elsille(elldthe Provisionof a reladoor mounted at its pivotal edge upon a portion j tivelyexpensivelatch, mechanism that must work of an automobile body in themanner contemf ,Withprecsion' andacourecy ill order t0 help SUP- platedin the present invention. Y y n .g portthefdoor andmaintan'it tightlyclosed, it is Figure 2 represents a side elevational view ot 4 50 y,often necessaryto Slam thek (1001' With greet fOICe the right side ofthe structure of Figure 1. 105 `in order to cause the bollito enter intOtS keepel'- Figure 3 shows, in enlarged perspective when` This' results`in breakage of glass, and wear and looking at the door from its innerside. an upper ffdistszirtion of the,r hinges, ,Moreoven since no cornerof the door together with a portion of the means, auxiliary to thelatch; is provided for main-V preferred hinge structure and a checkingdevice. 5e taininglthek door in closed position, the latter isy Thesupporting pillar of Figures 1 and! has been 110 minating in acylindrical sleeve 19 (see Figure 5).

.a plurality of vertically spaced and aligned sleeves 19 that aremaintained in a fixed position reladoor position. Open position of thedoor is shown in broken lines.

Figure 6 is a section similar to that of Figure 5, but taken along theplane of `line 6-6 in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a detailed View of one of the springs l employed in thehinge structureof Figures 3, 5

`and 6.

Figure 8 is an enlarged partial section taken along the vertical planeof line 8--8 in Figure 3, vandwith a portion of the vehicle body andinterior trimming added to show the manner in which the ,checking deviceis concealed and associated with the body. Y

With further reference to the drawings, wherein like numerals areemployed to designate like parts, numeral 10 indicates a door forming apart of the body of a vehicle (not shown). The door is supported by apillar 12 for swinging movement about a vertical axis. The pillar may bea conventional upright post of the `vehicle frame revamped to adapt itfor receiving and concealing the hinge structure (later described), orit may be a specially designed casing in the form of a post adapted tobe built into the body structure. Because of its peculiar shape andfunctions hereinafter appearing more fully, the pillar may properly` becalled either a part of the vehicle body or a part of the hingestructure.

l. With particular reference to Figures 3, 5 and 6,

l the pivoted edge ofthe door has secured thereto,

as by rivets or spot welding, a strengthening and supporting strip ofmetal 14, The strip 14 is L-shaped in horizontal section and extendsvertically substantially throughout the length of the door. Along itsvertex or line of bending, the strip 14 has a plurality of spaced slitsl5 cut therein in vertically aligned relationship to receive portions ofa specially designed multiplefingered hinge leaf, designated generallyby numeral 16.

The leaf 16 comprises an elongated, flat vertical strip 17 rigidlysecured to the edge of the door by the same rivets, 13, which fastenedthe element 14 to the door, and further comprises a plurality of spacedfingers 18 formed integral with the strip 17. As illustrated, thesefingers preferl ably are formed by bending, in each instance, a 'singlehorizontal and narrow strip of material of the main strip 17 to form acurved loop ter- After thelformation of the sleeve, the strip is bentbackwardly upon itself until its free end 20 reaches the main strip 17,and thence it is passed through one of the slits 15 of the angle membern14. The end 20 is then riveted, as at 21, into engagement withtheinterior side of the longitudinal face ofthe angle member.

The hinge leaf Vunder discussion thus Vcomprises.

`tiveto `the door. This relative fixed position may become of primeimportance, as will be explained later, but it should be understood thatmultiple downward movement.

fingers may be formed by other methods and in other ways than that justoutlined. 'I'he number of fingers necessary is determined by the weightof the door, and by the length of the latter. They may continuethroughout the length of that portion of the door which is flat and ofuniform thickness. (Some vehicle doors are gradually curved to form athin `lower edge, as seen in Figure 2.) The sleeves 19 receive a commoncylindrical pin 22 which passes vertically therethrough to provide apivotal axis for swinging movement of the,` door. The other leaf of thehinge, that is, the one which supports the pin 22 to x its axis withrespect to the body of the vehicle, will now be described.

A sheet metal angle bar 23, L-shaped in horiV aontal cross section andelongated vertically to substantially the same length as the angle bar14, is utilized to mount the pin 22 on the vehicle body. One wing, 24,of the bar 23 is in surface contact with the metal strip 17, when thedoor is in its illustrated closed position, and isslotted opposite eachlooped finger 18 to provide a plurality of spaced supporting tabs `25which alternate with the lingers 18 throughout the length of the hinge.Each tab 25, except the top one, is freely disposed between a pair ofthe fingers 18, and each tab has a vhole 26 for the reception of a screw27 that fastens it to the pillar l2 in manner later to be described.

The other wing, 28, of the angle bar '23 is shaped to provide aplurality of s paced fingers 29 each of which, except the top one, isspaced between a. pair of the lingers 18 and is of a width `about onehalf asV great as the distance between the fingers 18. The free ends ofthe fingers 29`are rolled or bent to form a set of cylindrical `sleeves30 in alignment with the sleeves 19 of the other hinge leaf. The longpin 22 passes vertically y through the sleeves 30 as well as the sleeves19, and is provided with a head 31 `for limiting its The pillar l2 (seeFigures 4, 5 and 6), comprises an elongated LJ-shaped channel member 32of substantially the same thickness vas the door, the

ends of this member being firmly supported by the body structure Y(notshown). The open side of the channel faces the door lhinge and receivesthe latter to completely conceal it from external,v

33 are provided with threaded openings 34 for v.

the reception of the threaded lends of the screws 27 that pass throughthe tabs 25, wherebythe tabs 25 are firmly locked stationarily uponthelugs 33. cally if desired, and floatingnuts placed behind them toreceive the threads of screws 27,` in this manner providing for avertical adjustmentof the entire door. The loopednngers 18 of theswinging hinge leaf` are freely received inthe channel member betweenthe lugs 33, and hence are permitted to osci-llate in the channelwithout restriction as the door is opened or`closed.

In order to increase thefrigidity ofthe chan` nel member 32 and tostrengthen the supporting lIfhe holes 34 may be elongated vertl` iaolugs 33, an Velongated ,bridging element 35 of special shape is builtinto the channel of ,the L with the ihner- ,surfaced .one Side .of .thuclnrlnlriel member.

It has a plurality of offset integral" iingers bent through severalright angles to form a corresponding plurality of bridges. each of whichis directly opposite a lug 33and comprises three wings, 38, 39 and 40.The wings 40 are of the approximate shape of the lugs 33, and areinterposed between said lugs andcthe tabs 2,5. The threaded holes 34 ofthe lugs continue through the wings 40, and hencethe` lugs, the

wings and the tabs are rigidly clamped together vby the screws 27. 'I'hebridging element 35 has been given its special design in order that itmay not interfere with the free oscillation of the hinge elements 18.

From the description thus far given, it will be seen that the door isfree to swing outwardly from the vehicle body (in a counterclockwisedirection in Figures 3, 5 and 6) about the axis of the pin 22 asillustrated in broken lines in Fig. 5. Since the hinge structure isdisposed entirely behind the plane of the outer door surface and isreceivable by the pillar 12, it is completely concealed from the view ofone standing beside the vehicle, and this is true whether the door isopen or closed. Nothing projects beyond the streamline surface of thebody. The location of the axis of oscillation is important in aconcealed hinge arrangement of this nature, since its dispositiommust besuch that none of the swinging parts will bindingly engage any of thestationary parts when the door o is swung. The outer edge of the door isflanged, as

at 41, adjacent the crimped edge 37 of the pillar.y

These flanged and crimped edges may easily be brought into overlappingrelationship when the door is closed, simply by prolonging the edge 37and bending it to iit under the edge 41, and redesigning the hinge toproportion the parts so that they will permit the door to swing inspite' of the overlapped relationship. The door being pivotallysupported continuously throughout a substantial portion of its left, thedoor weight is uniformly distributed along the pillar, the door will notsag or cause hinge distortion, and no auxiliary supports at the freeside of the door are necessary.

I prefer to add further means to the hinge structure for the purpose ofobtaining automatic door closure and for resisting the opening movementof the door. With reference to Figures 3, 5, 6 and 7, this means is asfollows:

A plurality of resilient devices 42, one individual to each yhinge leafiinger 18, are associated with the oscillating and stationary hingeleaves to react therebetween. Each device 42, (Figure 7) comprises asingle continuous spring wire bent to provide a pair of spaced coils 43interconnected by a straight reactance loop 44. The terminals of thespring device project from the outer sides oi the coils 43 to form apair of parallel reactance arms 45. v a

The spring devices are so arranged in combination with the hinge thateach is under tension with its coils pierced by the pin 22, its loop 44reacting againsta finger 18 of the oscillating hinge leaf and its arm 45reacting against the strip 23 of the stationary hinge leaf. The effectof these reactances is to urge the door toward its closed position andto yieldingly resist opening movement thereof. As the door is pushedopen the fingers 18 oscillate and pull the springloops 44 with them in amanner to wind up (tighten) the coils of the spring device and hence toincrease the tension of the latter.

Where the combination just described is utilized, itis impossiblertoleave a door open inadvertently with the risk of its being torn of! ordamaged. The usual rattling and squeaking when a car is in motion iseliminated, since the edges of the door are always uniformly andyieldingly urged toward the adjacent surfaces surrounding the opening inthe vehicle body. This action further eliminates the need for anexpensive latch mounted so accurately that the door must be slammed withgreat force to permit the bolt to enter its keeper. All that isnecessary, where the present invention is adopted, is the provision ofany simple, inexpensive latch with loosely fitting i parts, forpositively preventing the door from opening on the road and for lockingit when parked. The door will thus close and latch itself without manualslamming, and hence there is no danger of glass breakage or hingedistortion.

I prefer to -use that portion of the invention, already described, incombination with a checking device for preventing too rapid closingmovement of the door. No harm is ordinarily done where the springdevices of the hinge are' relatively light so that their strength issuiiicient to close thedoor without forceful and rapid movement.However, if the springs are made strong enough to increase their tensionand quicken their action, it becomes desirable to provide a check toprevent glass breakage and possible personal injuries when the doorswings shut. y

With reference to Figures 3` and 8 there is i1- lustrated a preferredform of checking arrangement wherein the check device is completelyconcealed. The arrangement comprises a closed cylinder 48 normally lyinglongitudinally of the upper edge of the door within a recess 47 cut orformed in the latter. 'I'hat endof the cylinder adjacent the hinge hasan integral lug 48 which receives a vertical bolt 49 and is designed topivot about the latter. The threaded end of the bolt projects upwardlythrough a portion 50 of the vehicle body (see Figure 8) and is locked infixed position relative to the body by a nut 51.

' A plunger 52 iits for reciprocation within the 'cylinder and issecured to a rod 53 which projects outward through the free end of thecylinshaped to form an eye 54 which pivots about a screw-bolt 55. Thelatter .passes through the eye and that horizontal surface of the doorwhich forms the bottom of the recess 47. A nut 56 locks the bolt 55 invertical position on the door. An 125 interior trim panel 57 or the like(shown only in Figure 8) extends past the vehicle body to cover the openside of the recess 47 and hence to completely conceal the checkingdevice when the door is closed.

As the door is swung upon its hinge it will be seen that the checkingdevice may oscillate horizontally about the bolts 49 and 55, the plungersimultaneously reciprocating to a certain'extent Within its cylinder.Reoiprocation of the piston in either or both directions may be resistedto check the door in any conventional manner. The piston may have arestricted longitudinal passage. therethrough and the cylinder filledwith a fluid, thus providing a dash-pot action (as shown). Other typesof uid brakes might be employed, or a coil spring interposed between theplunger and anend of the cylinder. The checkingdevice per se, however,forms no part, of this invention and hence is but diagrammaticallyillustrated. It is added merely to show the method of its concealmentand the general coimbination in which it functions as a part.

The invention may be embodied in other specinc forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

e present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come Within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:-

1. In combination with a door and a supporting structure including avertical mounting pillar upon which the door is designed to beswingingly mounted, a hinge structure disposed entirely\ between theplanes of the doors side surfaces,

said hinge structure comprising a pair of complemental hinge leavessecured to saiddoor and said supporting structure respectively, and eachprovided with a plurality of pivotally alignedv integral fingersconcealed from external view within said pillar, the fingers of one leafalternating with those of the other continuously throughout asubstantial portion of the length of the hinged side of said door, and asingle elonf gated pivot pin for interconnecting the sets of iingers.

2. In combination with a door and a supporting structure upon which thedoor is designed to. be

swingingly mounted, a hinge structure disposed 1 entirely between theplanes of the doors side surfaces, said hinge structure comprising apair of complemental hinge leaves secured to said door andisaidsupporting structure respectively, and provided with a plurality ofpivotally aligned ngers, the fingers of one leaf alternating with thoseof the other continuously throughout a substantial portion of the lengthof the hinged side of the door, a single elongated pivot pin forinterconnecting the sets of fingers, and spring means reactingibetweenone leaf and the complemental fingers of the other leaf to urge saiddoor toward closed position at all times, said hinge structure,including the spring means, being jconcealed between said door and saidsupporting structure.

3. A mounting for closure elements such as vehicle doors and the like,said mounting including a pair of hinge leaves, one of said leaves beingdesigned to have its-body portion rigidly supported and to form aplurality of spaced fingers terminating in substantially cylindricalsleeves, the other one of said leaves being designed to have its bodyportion attached to a closure element and to form a plurality of spacedfingers terminating in substantially cylindrical sleeves in alternatingalignment with the first mentioned sleeves and spaced slightlytherefrom, a pinA inserted through all of the alternating, sleeves, andspring means reacting between saidleaves to cause one of them to tend toswing about the axis of said pin relative to the other, said springmeans comprising relatar coil springs surrounding said pin between thespaced cylindrical sleeves of said nngers and having extensions intorsional engagement .with portions oi said leaves.

4. A mounting for closure elements such as vehicle doors and the like,said mounting including a pair of hinge leaves, one of said leaves beingdesigned to have its body portion rigidly supported and to form aplurality of spaced iingers ter-lv minating in substantially cylindricalsleeves, the other one of said leaves being designed to have its bodyportion attached to a closure element and to form a plurality of spacedfingers terminating in substantially cylindrical sleeves in alternatingalignment with therst mentioned sleeves, and means pivotallyinterconnecting all of the alternating sleeves,the body portion Y leaveshaving spaced openings adacent the 1ingers of the other leaves to permitfree pivotal movement of the last mentioned fingers.

5. A mounting for closure elements such as vvehicle doors and the like,said mounting. in-

cluding a pair of hinge leaves, one of said leaves being designed tohave its body portion rigidly supported and to form a plurality ofspaced fingers terminating in substantially cylindrical sleeves, theother one of said leaves being designed to have its body portionattached to a closure element and to form a plurality of spaced fingersterminating in substantially cylindrical sleeves in alternatingalignment with the first mentioned sleeves,

of one of said.

a pin inserted through all of Lthe alternating 1 sleeves, the bodyportions of the leaves being. in.'

parallel engagement when in one of their extreme positions, and aplurality of qsprings reacting against the fingers of one leaf and thebody portion of the other leaf with a normal tendency to urge said bodyportions into said position of parallel engagement.

6. InV combination with an automobile body or the like and a doortherefor, a mounting structure, fon a rigidV part of said body anddesigned to support said door, said door having a plurality of spacedhinge elements projecting from one of its edges, said mounting structurehaving a plurality of openings for receiving said hinge elements andbeing designed to form a vertical channel, and there being an` elongatedpin disposed in said vertical channel to swingingly support said spacedhingeelements.

1 7. In the combination defined in claim 6, said mounting structurebeing designed to form a plurality of spaced supporting members adjacentsaid channel in alternating relationship with said spaced openings, andthere being a plurality of rigid extensions projecting from saidsupporting members into said channel to receive said elongated pin. s

BION C. PLACE.

